Published: November 14, 2009 11:31 pm      

Milestone punctuates great week for Wall

Sharpshooter signs with U. of Indianapolis, joins 1,000-point club

Inattentiveness will be punished.

North Miami’s girls basketball teams learned that Friday night. In the coming years, college teams that didn’t recruit Taylor’s Shelby Wall could find themselves with that same regret when she hits the floor at the University of Indianapolis.

It’s been a big week for Wall. She signed with the U of Indy on Wednesday, then reached the 1,000-point milestone when the senior scored Taylor’s first points of the new season in the Titans’ opener with North Miami.

Wall had 997 points in her career entering the season opener and the milestone came in storybook fashion Friday. With a big crowd on hand anticipating a big moment, Taylor muddled through its first possessions and had yet to score through the first three minutes of the game, trailing 3-0.

With 4:46 left in the first quarter, Wall got the ball generously outside the 3-point arc on the left side and fired as a defender fouled her. The shot splashed home as Wall hit the floor. Play was halted for the foul and a quick ceremony. High fives. Picture at center court. Back to business — there was a free throw to hit.

But she didn’t.

“I was so mad,” Wall said of her miss.

Wall made up for it quickly. Taylor snagged the rebound on the missed freebie, Wall hit a mid-range jumper and got fouled again. She hit the free throw this time for a 6-0 run in five seconds. Taylor never looked back. Given room to breathe, Wall scored a dozen points in the quarter and finished with 32 in a 76-33 victory.

“That was what’s most important, getting it over with and winning the game,” she said. “It was good to get it out of the way.”

The senior shooting guard has a talent for shooting, and has maximized it with endless repetitions. She goes through a lengthy shot routine every day.

“Normally, I’ll go through a certain routine. When I feel comfortable with what I’ve done, then I’m done,” she said. “Normally, I’ll shoot a couple hundred.

“I shoot from every spot. I usually do about 10, and I want to make about 10. Then I go through game situations, off screens or off dribble, things that would happen in a game, until I feel good.”

Taylor coach Dennis Bentzler questioned her math.

“I get upset with her right now because I think her legs get tired,” Bentzler said. It’s his only complaint with Wall. “It’s almost a habit — every day she’s got to have it. But that’s why she’s the player she is. That’s why she’s got the ability she has. She’s able to do more things this year than she’s ever been able to.

“I’ve said all along, she’s the most polished player I’ve ever coached. The combination of her skill level with the basketball, her ability to shoot the 15-footer like a boy, and then her range on the 3-pointer, all those things just make her a tremendous girl player, just very hard to stop for anybody one on one.”

Bentzler raved about Wall’s improvement heading into this season. Her ballhandling is better, meaning she can drive more comfortably when defenders close her out, and she can now shoot from well behind the arc if defenders give her that space.

“I’ve said all along, it’s a shame: She’s a Division I player trapped in a Division II body,” Bentzler said. “But University of Indianapolis coach [LeAnn] Freeland, they’re ecstatic to get her.”

The feeling is mutual. Wall is getting mix of athletic and academic scholarship money that amounts to a full ride to the Great Lakes Valley Conference school. She’s excited about the opportunity.

“I really loved the coaches, and the team, they play my style of basketball,” she said. The Greyhounds are ranked 11th in the preseason poll. “They play a motion and they play smart.

“They do a lot of screening off the ball and on the ball and I really like that kind of offense.”

Bentzler noted Wall has a 12.8 GPA on a 12.0 scale. That intelligence caught the attention of Freeland.

“Shelby is a very skilled guard with tremendous shooting ability and a high basketball IQ,” Freeland said in a release to announce the signing. “She has great range with her shot, and makes others better because of her strong work ethic.”

Making others better is important to Wall as she enters her final year. She was under the wing of last season’s seniors and is now stepping forward to accept that responsibility.

“Being a senior is a lot different than being a junior, when you have someone else to look up to,” she said. “Last year I had Teri [Oliver] and Liz [Mamaril] and I was able to look up to them to help. But this year, it’s up to me.”

That’s why she practices her shot even more this season. She has more responsibility in games, and within the team.

“She’s our elected speaking captain,” Bentzler said. “She’s just a kid that leads by example. She’s not a rah-rah, in-your-face-type player, she just does it. She just expects people to follow her. And if they follow her, they’re going to be successful.”

That’s the goal. Taylor was 20-4 last season for its fourth 20-win season in seven campaigns. Wall wants the Titans to stay at a high level.

She conceded to being nervous before the opener.

“I think this year, I’m a little more nervous about where our team’s going to be,” she said.

“I guess I want to be able to lead my team a little better. As a team, individually, I think we’re really good players, but until you play a couple games, it’s hard to learn how to play together. I think we will learn how to play together.”